Daily Dose Of Jazz…

David Kenneth Brooks, Jr. was born May 29, 1922 in Fayetteville, North Carolina, the older brother of Tina Brooks. His first professional gig was with the medicine show of Pepper McAllister.

He served in the Army during World War II where he played with James Moody. He moved to New York City after his discharge in 1944, where he played at Minton’s Playhouse and the Harlem Grill. He toured North Carolina in a band alongside Sonny Payne in 1947, then played with George Barkley at the Baby Grand in New York. He first recorded with Barkley around 1947 or 1948, then went on to play with Sonny Thompson from 1948 to 1957.

In 1958 he worked with Jimmy McCracklin and in 1961 with Phil Upchurch. While doing session work with pop musicians in the 1960s. From 1967 to 1973 he played at the Fantasy East in New York City with alto saxophonist Charles Williams and Don Pullen, recording three albums as a trio for Mainstream Records.

After a short run with Jimmy McGriff in 1974, Brooks became a member of Bill Doggett’s ensemble, where he remained for two decades from 1976 to 1996. He worked in the middle of the 1990s with Bross Townsend, Carrie Smith, and the Harlem Blues and Jazz Band, and toured France with Al Casey in 1999.

He recorded with Wynonie Harris, Phil Upchurch, Charles Williams, Bill Doggett, Bross Townsend, Michel Pastre, Joseph Carter, and Bobby Forrester. Tenor saxophonist David Kenneth Brooks, Jr., better known as Bubba Brooks or Bubber Brooks, transitioned on April 11, 2002.

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